Numbers of Visitors to China Rises From Pandemic-Era Lows

After plunging dramatically during the depths of the pandemic, international arrivals to China appear to be steadily rising as authorities seek to attract foreign tourists to boost an economy marked by flagging domestic consumption.

Data from China's National Immigration Administration showed 141 million total exits and entries in the first quarter of 2024. Foreign nationals accounted for 13 million of those, roughly a tripling from the same period in 2023. While such figures remain far below the pre-pandemic levels of around 670 million total exits and entries for the entire year of 2019, of which some 100 million were foreigners, they represent a continued rebound of travel that began in 2023 after Beijing abandoned its pandemic restrictions.

This increase comes as Beijing has eased visa rules to aggressively court foreign visitors in an effort to stimulate China’s economy. Chinese authorities signed a visa waiver agreement with Thailand in January, and have granted visa-free entry to citizens of Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Switzerland as of mid-March. Similar programs have been rolled out on a trial basis for citizens of a number of other European and Asian countries. 

Such steps are part of broader efforts by Beijing to revive an economy battered by years of Covid controls, a severe real estate crisis, and cooling domestic consumption. They are also aimed at improving China’s image abroad. Chinese authorities hope an increase in foreign tourists, along with measures such as Xi Jinping’s November announcement that Beijing seeks to attract some 50,000 American students over the next five years, will help reverse a decline in people-to-people ties caused by years of pandemic-era restrictions and rising geopolitical tensions.